Patentable/Patents/US-9293629
US-9293629

Optoelectronic component and method for operating an optoelectronic component

PublishedMarch 22, 2016
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

An optoelectronic component includes a carrier on which at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip and one first light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip, at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip and one second light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chips are arranged on the carrier such that light from each light-emitting semiconductor chip falls on at least one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips not connected to the respective light-emitting semiconductor chip, and the light-absorbing semiconductor chips are formed as protection diodes.

Patent Claims
15 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. An optoelectronic component comprising: a carrier on which at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip and one first light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip, at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip and one second light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chips are arranged on the carrier such that light from each light-emitting semiconductor chip falls on at least one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips not connected to the respective light-emitting semiconductor chip, and the light-absorbing semiconductor chips are formed as protection diodes.

2

2. The optoelectronic component according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips is a silicon diode or a GaAs diode.

3

3. The optoelectronic component according to claim 1 , which has a control apparatus designed to operate, in a first measurement step, the first light-emitting semiconductor chip with a measurement current and measure a first photocurrent of one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips not connected to the first light-emitting semiconductor chip, and to operate, in a second measurement step, the second light-emitting semiconductor chip with a measurement current and measure a second photocurrent in one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips not connected to the second light-emitting semiconductor chip.

4

4. The optoelectronic component according to claim 3 , wherein the control apparatus compares the first and second photocurrents with stored nominal values, and uses a respective difference between the first and second photocurrents the stored nominal value to determine a nominal value of a first and a second operating current to operate the light-emitting semiconductor chips.

5

5. The optoelectronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier has a housing with a depression in which the semiconductor chips are arranged.

6

6. The optoelectronic component according to claim 5 , wherein the depression is designed to be reflective.

7

7. The optoelectronic component according to claim 1 , wherein at least one third light-emitting semiconductor chip with a third semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one third light-emitting semiconductor chip and formed as a protection diode, is arranged on the carrier.

8

8. The optoelectronic component according to claim 7 , wherein, during operation, light from the third light-emitting semiconductor chip falls at least on the first or second light-absorbing semiconductor chip.

9

9. The optoelectronic component according to claim 7 , wherein the third semiconductor chip formed as a protection diode is light-absorbing.

10

10. The optoelectronic component according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the light-emitting semiconductor chips has a wavelength conversion element which converts at least a portion of primary light, which is emitted by the light-emitting semiconductor chip, to secondary light which is different therefrom.

11

11. The optoelectronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting semiconductor chips emit different light from one another.

12

12. A method of operating an optoelectronic component comprising: a carrier on which at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip and one first light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip, at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip and one second light-absorbing semiconductor chip, which is connected antiparallel to the at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chips are arranged on the carrier such that light from each light-emitting semiconductor chip falls on at least one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips not connected to the respective light-emitting semiconductor chip, and the light-absorbing semiconductor chips are formed as protection diodes, the method comprising: in a first measurement step, the first light-emitting semiconductor chip is operated with a measurement current and a first photocurrent of a light-absorbing semiconductor chip is measured, on which light from the first light-emitting semiconductor chip falls and which is not connected to the first light-emitting semiconductor chip, in a second measurement step, the second light-emitting semiconductor chip is operated with a measurement current and a second photocurrent of a light-absorbing semiconductor chip is measured, on which light from the second light-emitting semiconductor chip falls and which is not connected to the second light-emitting semiconductor chip, a first operating current is determined from a difference between the first photocurrent and a first nominal value, a second operating current is determined from a difference between the second photocurrent and a second nominal value, and the first light-emitting semiconductor chip is then operated with the first operating current, and the second light-emitting semiconductor chip is operated with the second operating current.

13

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein in the first measurement step the first photocurrent is produced by the second light-absorbing semiconductor chip, in the second measurement step the second photocurrent is produced by the first light-absorbing semiconductor chip, in the optoelectronic component a third light-emitting semiconductor chip is provided, with a third semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the third light-emitting semiconductor chip and formed as a protection diode, in a third measurement step the third light-emitting semiconductor chip is operated with a measurement current to produce light which falls on the second light-absorbing semiconductor chip which produces a third photocurrent, and in addition to the first and second operating currents, a third operating current for operating the third light-emitting semiconductor chip is determined from a difference between the third photocurrent and a third nominal value.

14

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein in the first measurement step, the first photocurrent is produced by the second light-absorbing semiconductor chip, in the optoelectronic component a third light-emitting semiconductor chip is provided with a third light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the third light-absorbing semiconductor chip and formed as a protection diode, in the second measurement step, the second photocurrent is produced by the third light-absorbing semiconductor chip, in a third measurement step, the third light-emitting semiconductor chip is operated with a measurement current to produce light which falls on the first light-absorbing semiconductor chip, which produces a third photocurrent, and in addition to the first and second operating currents, a third operating current to operate the third light-emitting semiconductor chip is determined from a difference between the third photocurrent and a third nominal value.

15

15. A method of operating an optoelectronic component having a carrier on which at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip and one first light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip, are arranged, in which the first light-absorbing semiconductor chip is formed as an environmental-light sensor and as a protection diode, which produces a photocurrent by environmental light which falls on the optoelectronic component, and in which the at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip is operated when a minimum value for the photocurrent is undershot.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

March 19, 2012

Publication Date

March 22, 2016

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Cite as: Patentable. “Optoelectronic component and method for operating an optoelectronic component” (US-9293629). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9293629

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